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Reading Rainbow
| last_aired = | num_seasons = 21 | num_episodes = 155 | list_episodes = List of Reading Rainbow episodes | creator = | picture_format = 480i (SDTV) | audio_format = Mono (1983–87) Stereo (1984–87; some episodes, all episodes 1988–2006) }} Reading Rainbow is an American half-hour educational children's television series that aired on PBS Kids from June 6, 1983 to November 10, 2006, with a total of 155 half-hour episodes spanning over 21 seasons. The show encouraged children to read. In 2012, an iPad and Kindle Fire educational interactive book reading and video field trip application was launched bearing the name of the program. The public television series garnered over 200 broadcast awards, including a Peabody Award and 26 Emmy Awards, 11 of which were in the "Outstanding Children's Series" category. The series was created under the leadership of Cecily Truett Lancit and Larry Lancit, at Lancit Media Productions in New York. The concept of a reading series for children originated with Twila Liggett, PhD, and Paul Schupbach (director), of the Great Plains National Instructional Television Library at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln; and Tony Buttino, of WNED-TV Buffalo, New York. The original team included Lynne Brenner Ganek, Ellen Schecter, and host LeVar Burton. Each episode centered on a theme from a book, or other children's literature, which was explored through a number of segments or stories. The show also recommended books for kids to look for when they went to the library. It is the third-longest running children's series in PBS history, after Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It was also one of the first PBS shows to be broadcast in stereo. After the show's cancellation on November 10, 2006, reruns aired until August 28, 2009, when it was pulled from the schedule. On June 20, 2012, the Reading Rainbow App was released for the iPad and, within 36 hours, became the #1 most-downloaded educational app in the iTunes App Store. Built from the ground up by LeVar Burton and his company, RRKIDZ, the app allows children to read unlimited books, explore video field trips starring Burton, and earn rewards for reading. The week of June 11, 2013, Reading Rainbow celebrated its 30th anniversary. In May 2014, a Kickstarter campaign was launched to raise funds to make the app available online, Android, game consoles, smartphones, and other streaming devices along with creating a classroom version with the subscription fee waived for up to 13,000 disadvantaged classrooms. The effort met its initial fundraising goal of $1,000,000 in eleven hours. The campaign met its second goal of $5 million in the last 24 hours, triggering a matching $1 million from Seth MacFarlane; the final amount raised on Kickstarter is $5,408,916 from 105,857 backers.Project Updates. Kickstarter. Retrieved July 2, 2014. Show details Reading Rainbow was hosted by actor and executive producer LeVar Burton, who is also known for his roles in Roots and Star Trek: The Next Generation. The show was produced first by Lancit Media Entertainment from 1983 to 2001, and then, by On-Screen Entertainment from 2002 to 2006. Every episode featured a different book, often narrated by a celebrity. Celebrity readers included Philip Bosco (Barbara Bash's Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus), Michael Ansara (Paul Goble's The Gift of the Sacred Dog, Sheila MacGill Callahan's And Still the Turtle Watched), Josie de Guzman (Leyla Torres's Saturday Sancocho), Jason Robards (Francine Jacobs' Sam the Sea Cow), Bill Cosby (Marc Brown's Arthur's Eyes), Eartha Kitt (Megan McDonald's Is This a House for Hermit Crab?), and Charles Kimbrough (David Wiesner's June 29, 1999). The featured story would often have still shots of the book's illustrated pages shown in succession, although on certain occasions the shots would be animated. After the featured story, Burton visited settings related to the episode's theme, often featuring interviews with guests. One episode featured a behind-the-scenes look at Star Trek: The Next Generation. The final segment of each show, called Book Reviews, began with Burton's introductory catchphrase, "But you don't have to take my word for it," and featured children giving capsule reviews of books they liked. Burton ended most episodes with the phrase "I'll see you next time." The series' pilot, which aired as the show's eighth episode in 1983, featured the book Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and was narrated by Doug Parvin. It was created and produced in 1981. Burton hosted the program. The daughters of producer Larry Lancit, Shaune and Caitlin Lancit, were often featured in the series, notably as the children thanking the sponsors at the beginning and end of the show. Theme song and opening sequence The show's theme song was written by Steve Horelick, Dennis Neil Kleinman, and Janet Weir; Horelick also served as the series' music director and composer and received an Emmy nomination in 2007 for his work on the series. Over the show's 23-year run, it went through three variations of the theme song. The original theme was performed by Tina Fabrique and featured one of the first uses of the Buchla synthesizer in a TV theme song. The original opening sequence, which consisted of a cartoon butterfly transforming the surroundings of young children reading books into cartoon fantasy lands, was used until August 1999. The introductory animation was drawn at Oldfather Studios in Lawrence, Kansas on the University of Kansas campus. In September 1999, episodes began using a new opening sequence which is live-action and features CGI in a space-themed world, with the same theme song performed first by Johnny Kemp. A third intro was used starting in May 2000, performed by R&B artist Chaka Khan. The opening sequence is mostly the same as the second one, but this time featuring Burton in place of some of the animated elements. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon parodied the theme song by presenting it as if it was written by The Doors, and featured Fallon doing an accurate impression of Jim Morrison. Last years as TV series (2005–06) Original production was to have ended after April 4, 2005, with the show continuing to air in reruns, but host LeVar Burton said on February 7, 2006, that five new episodes of the show would be shot in 2006 despite the continuing financial troubles of PBS. The show aired its last episode on November 10, 2006. Relaunch as an app Announcement and early developments (2010–14) Former executive producer LeVar Burton announced on his Twitter feed on March 19, 2010, that "Reading Rainbow 2.0 is in the works." On March 4, 2012, he announced that it was the "last day of shooting before launch!" On June 13, 2012, in a special presentation at Apple Inc's annual World Wide Developers Conference, Burton and his business partner, Mark Wolfe, introduced the new Reading Rainbow iPad App. It became available in Apple's iTunes Store on June 20, 2012, and within 36 hours was the #1 educational app. In January 2014, the Reading Rainbow App surpassed 10M books read and video field trips watched by children in 18 months. Kickstarter revival campaign and aftermath (2014–17) On May 28, 2014, LeVar Burton started a Kickstarter fund to revive the show and materials. In under twelve hours the show had reached its $1 million goal. The new goal is to create an educational version for schools to use, free of cost to those schools in need, and help America get back to high literacy rates. They are also going to create a website for students to use to assist them with learning how to read. The following day, May 29, 2014, they reached two million dollars (double their goal) at 1:15 pm. PST. The campaign raised $5,408,916 on Kickstarter with another one million from Seth MacFarlane, and $70,000 raised via direct contributions. The grand total was $6,478,916. With 105,857 backers, the campaign holds Kickstarter's record for most backers and is the 8th highest amount raised on Kickstarter (as of June 1, 2015).Discover Projects >> Most Funded – Kickstarter. Retrieved June 10, 2015 In March 2016, Burton launched a new online educational service called Reading Rainbow Skybrary for Schools that follows the same mission of the television series, while expanding to integrate into classroom curriculums. In August 2017, WNED filed a wide-ranging lawsuit against Burton and RRKidz that demands Burton's company hand over administrative access to various websites and social media accounts. The lawsuit also seeks to enjoin Burton from using the Reading Rainbow catchphrase, "But you don't have to take my word for it," on his podcast. As of October 2017, visiting the official Reading Rainbow website provides a page which states that "Recent legal disputes between WNED and LeVar Burton/RRKIDZ have been resolved and RRKIDZ no longer licenses the Reading Rainbow brand from WNED. WNED is currently working on the next chapter of Reading Rainbow and will continue its mission of fostering education for a new generation." Accolades Television, film, and music Reading Rainbow and LeVar Burton have appeared in many works of popular culture. *''Community'' 2011 & 2014. LeVar Burton surprises his fan Troy Barnes (Donald Glover), leaving Troy speechless. Troy is later seen singing the Reading Rainbow theme song alone in a restroom, before breaking down in tears. *''The Colbert Report'' 2013. LeVar Burton appears as the host of Reading Rainbow in a dreamlike sequence when Stephen Colbert and Carey Mulligan admit that they have never read The Great Gatsby and yet were both acting as if they did when discussing Mulligan's film based on the novel. *In 2012, Jimmy Fallon performed "Reading Rainbow Theme (Butterfly in the Sky)" in the style of The Doors on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, with Fallon portraying Jim Morrison. The performance was later uploaded on NBC's YouTube channel. *PBS Digital Studios 2012. On Behalf of PBS, a.k.a. Melody Sheep remixed the "Reading Rainbow Theme (Butterfly in the Sky)", earning over 1 million views on YouTube. *LeVar Burton and an episode of Reading Rainbow appears in director Zach Braff's feature film Wish I Was Here (2014) which stars Braff, Kate Hudson, Jim Parsons, and James Avery. *A sample of an interview of Ricky Lee Jones is mistakenly attributed to the show as the main vocal element on the track "Little Fluffy Clouds" by The Orb, released in 1990. See Little Fluffy Clouds#Samples Animation producers Feature Book filming The photographing of the Feature Book segments was by: * Centron Films (1983–87; renamed in 1986 to "Centron Productions Inc.") * Loren Dolezal (1988–98; renamed in 1995 to "Dolezal Animation"); Take Ten Animation teamed up with Dolezal from 1995–98. * On Screen Entertainment (2000–06) * Roger Holden, designer of the digital animation photography system used by Centron Films to film the Feature Book segments (1983–87) Guest readers and contributors * Marv Albert * Jason Alexander (Pet Stories You Don't Have to Walk) * Maya Angelou (All the Colors of the Race) * Michael Ansara (The Gift of the Sacred Dog, Sheila MacGill-Callahan's and Barry Moser's And Still the Turtle Watched) * Lucie Arnaz (When Aunt Lena Did the Rhumba) * Edward Asner (Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo) * James Avery (Berlioz the Bear, Game Day) * Hoyt Axton (Meanwhile Back at the Ranch) * Julia Barr (Raccoons and Ripe Corn, Deer at the Brook, Come Out, Muskrats) * Angela Bassett (The Wonderful Towers of Watts) * Orson Bean (The Runaway Duck) * Philip Bosco (Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus) * Reizl Bozyk (Mrs. Katz and Tush) * Wayne Brady (Mr. George Baker) * Jeff Bridges (The Tin Forest) * Fran Brill (Dive to the Coral Reefs) * Matthew Broderick (Owen) * Ruth Buzzi (Miss Nelson is Back) * David Canary (Work Song) * Jose Canseco * Diahann Carroll (Show Way) * Dixie Carter (Come a Tide) * Lacey Chabert (Snowy Day: Stories and Poems) * Julia Child (Florence and Eric Take the Cake) * Roy Clark (Barn Dance) * Kevin Clash (as Elmo) * Imogene Coca (Imogene's Antlers) * James Coco (Perfect the Pig) * Tim Conway (The Secret Shortcut) * Bill Cosby (Arthur's Eyes, Dennis Nolan's Big Pig) * Denise Crosby * Jim Cummings (Frog and Toad) * Jane Curtin (Duncan and Dolores) * Tyne Daly (Amazing Grace) * Keith David (Follow the Drinking Gourd) * Ossie Davis (Summer) * Ruby Dee (Simon's Book, Tar Beach, Badger's Parting Gifts) * Josie de Guzman (Saturday Sancocho) * Brian Dennehy (Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express) * Phyllis Diller (Ludlow Laughs) * Michael Dorn * Ann Duquesnay (Hip Cat) * Eliza Dushku (Unique Monique) * Buddy Ebsen (Steven Kellogg's Paul Bunyan) * Georgia Engel (Chickens Aren't the Only Ones) * Hector Elizondo (Brush) * Fernando Escandon (Hill of Fire) * Lola Falana (Sophie and Lou) * Peter Falk (The Robbery at the Diamond Dog Diner) * Jamie Farr (The Sign Painter's Dream) * Barbara Feldon (The Life Cycle of the Honeybee) * Tovah Feldshuh (The Piggy in the Puddle) * Ron Foster (My Little Island) * Jonathan Frakes * Vincent Gardenia (Louis the Fish, The Adventures of Taxi Dog) * Richard Gere * Jack Gilford (The Purple Coat) * Whoopi Goldberg * Jane Goodall * Robert Guillaume (My Shadow (poem)) * Lorne Greene (Ox-Cart Man) * Ed Harris (Enemy Pie) * Jo Hayden (Martha Speaks) * Jim Henson (as Kermit the Frog) * William Hickey (Dennis Nolan's Monster Bubbles: A Counting Book, Willi Glasauer's Greetings from the Surreal) * Gregory Hines (Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin) * Anna Holbrook (Regina's Big Mistake) * Lena Horne (Snowy Day: Stories and Poems) * Beth Howland (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie) * Scott Irby-Ranniar (My Life with the Wave) * Anne Jackson (Stellaluna) * Victoria Jackson (Tooth-Gnasher Superflash) * James Earl Jones (Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain) * Raul Julia (Mystery on the Docks) * Madeline Kahn (Bea and Mr. Jones) * Carol Kane (Someplace Else) * Charles Kimbrough (June 29, 1999) * Regina King (Max) * Eartha Kitt (Is This a House for Hermit Crab?) * Gene Klavan (The Bionic Bunny Show) * Linda Lavin (Ruth Law Thrills a Nation) * Robin Leach * Michael Learned (Appelemando's Dreams) * Maya Lin * Viveca Lindfors (Rechenka's Eggs) * Amy Linker (A Chair for my Mother) * Keye Luke (The Paper Crane) * Michele Mariana (Stay Away from the Junkyard!) * Olga Merediz (Borreguita and the Coyote) * Andrea McArdle (Lemonade for Sale) * Gates McFadden * Bobby McFerrin * Mark McGwire * Marilyn Michaels (Gregory the Terrible Eater) * Stephanie Mills (Bea and Mr. Jones) * Helen Mirren (How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World) * Robert Morse (Sunken Treasure) * Fred Newman (Mama Don't Allow, Fox on the Job) * Jerry Orbach (Germs Make Me Sick!) * Corinne Orr (Aliki's Mummies Made in Egypt) * Frank Oz (as Fozzie Bear) * Jane Pauley (Humphrey the Lost Whale: A True Story) * Peter Pitofsky * Faith Prince (Nosey Mrs. Rat) * Freddie Prinze, Jr. (Beegu) * Keshia Knight Pulliam (The Magic School Bus: Inside the Earth) * Gilda Radner (The Tortoise and the Hare) * Phylicia Rashad (Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters) * Lou Rawls (Ty's One Man Band) * Alaina Reed (The Milk Makers) * Lionel Richie * Jason Robards (Sam the Sea Cow) * Al Roker (Hail to Mail) * Zelda Rubinstein (A Three Hat Day) * Run-D.M.C. * Lea Salonga (Silent Lotus) * Isabel Sanford (The Patchwork Quilt) * Susan Sarandon (The Shaman's Apprentice: A Tale of the Amazon Rainforest) * Josh Saviano (Little Nino's Pizzeria) * John Sebastian * Pete Seeger (Abiyoyo) * Martin Short (Animal Cafe) * Marina Sirtis * Phoebe Snow (The Gift of the Sacred Dog) * Brent Spiner * Arnold Stang (Alistair in Outer Space, Alistair's Time Machine, Archibald Frisby) * Stomp * Patrick Stewart (On the Day You Were Born) * Jerry Stiller (Digging Up Dinosaurs) * Regina Taylor (Uncle Jed's Barber Shop) * Lynne Thigpen (The Salamander Room) * Sada Thompson (Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie) * Lauren Tom (Liang and the Magic Paintbrush) * Michelle Trachtenberg (Math Curse) * Leslie Uggams (Jack, the Seal and the Sea) * Ben Vereen (Ty's One Man Band) * Ralph Waite (Rumplestilitskin) * Bree Walker * Eli Wallach (Once There Was a Tree) * Steve Whitmire (as Waldo C. Graphic) * William Windom (Hot-Air Henry) * Michael Winslow (Space Case) * Hattie Winston (Galimoto) * Alfre Woodard (Visiting Day) Writing and illustrating contest In 1995, the creators launched the first contest called "Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest". The annual writing and illustrating competition for children grades K through 3 continued until 2009 when it was relaunched as "PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest". Then in 2014, it was renamed to "PBS Kids Writers Contest", due to the revamped brand. References Custom Software Development Company External links * * * ReadingRainbow.com Reading Rainbow website by RRKidz, Inc. * [https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Rainbow-Kindle-Tablet-Educational/dp/B00B9K2TSQ Reading Rainbow App for Kindle Fire] on the Amazon Appstore * [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reading-rainbow-read-along/id512350210? Reading Rainbow App for iPad] on the Apple App Store }} Category:Reading Rainbow Category:1983 American television series debuts Category:2006 American television series endings Category:1980s American children's television series Category:1990s American children's television series Category:2000s American children's television series Category:American children's adventure television series Category:American children's fantasy television series Category:American television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:American television series with live action and animation Category:English-language television programs Category:Kickstarter-funded software Category:PBS Kids shows Category:PBS network shows Category:Reading and literacy television series